The Italian garden to the west of the castle and the croquet lawn below was added as part of extensive development of the Hatley Park estate by Boston based landscape architects, Brett and Hall from 1912-1914.
When Laura Dunsmuir died in 1937, the house and grounds were maintained by a skeleton staff until it was sold to the Canadian Government in 1940.
The Italian garden to the west of the castle and the croquet lawn below was added as part of extensive development of the Hatley Park estate by Boston based landscape architects, Brett and Hall from 1912-1914. When Laura Dunsmuir died in 1937, the house and grounds were maintained by a skeleton staff until it was sold to the Canadian Government in 1940.
The Italian garden to the west of the castle and the croquet lawn below was added as part of extensive development of the Hatley Park estate by Boston based landscape architects, Brett and Hall from 1912-1914.
When Laura Dunsmuir died in 1937, the house and grounds were maintained by a skeleton staff until it was sold to the Canadian Government in 1940.
The Italian garden to the west of the castle and the croquet lawn below was added as part of extensive development of the Hatley Park estate by Boston based landscape architects, Brett and Hall from 1912-1914. When Laura Dunsmuir died in 1937, the house and grounds were maintained by a skeleton staff until it was sold to the Canadian Government in 1940.
The upper Japanese garden at Hatley Park was designed by Japanese landscape architect Isaburo Kashida. The garden was installed in 1909 and developed by Tadashi Noda from 1913-1927.
The upper Japanese garden at Hatley Park was designed by Japanese landscape architect Isaburo Kishida. The garden was installed in 1909 and developed by Tadashi Noda from 1913-1927.
The upper Japanese garden at Hatley Park was designed by Japanese landscape architect Isaburo Kishida. The garden was installed in 1909 and developed by Tadashi Noda from 1913-1927.
The lower pond is one of three artificial lakes created from a creek on the property. Fish ladders were installed to connect the ponds and encourage trout to spawn in the Japanese garden pond.
The upper Japanese garden at Hatley Park was designed by Japanese landscape architect Isaburo Kishida. The garden was installed in 1909 and developed by Tadashi Noda from 1913-1927.
The upper Japanese garden at Hatley Park was designed by Japanese landscape architect Isaburo Kishida. The garden was installed in 1909 and developed by Tadashi Noda from 1913-1927.
The building visible on the left side of this image is the upper western portion of the castle.
The upper Japanese garden at Hatley Park was designed by Japanese landscape architect Isaburo Kishida. The garden was installed in 1909 and developed by Tadashi Noda from 1913-1927.
The upper Japanese garden at Hatley Park was designed by Japanese landscape architect Isaburo Kishida. The garden was installed in 1909 and developed by Tadashi Noda from 1913-1927.
In 1928, Muriel Dunsmuir married Maurice “Tolly” Wingfield and by 1932, they had built Journey’s End, a home adjacent to the Hatley Park property and in the Arts and Crafts style. Tolly died in 1941. In 1952, the house was used as a staff residence for Canadian Services College Royal Roads and since 1988, it has been the administration building for Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Park.
inscription reads: "To Graham, with love from Tallulah"
Images in this album were most likely collected by Dola Dunsmuir. There are around 100 pictures from Dola's school days at Miss Ransom and Miss Bridges’ School for girls in Piedmont, California, which she attended in 1920 at the age of 17. Also included are photos from a tour of the ruins in northern Europe after the Great War. Dola accompanied her sister, Muriel and husband Edward Molyneux on a road trip to such places as Cambrai, Lens, Rancourt, Vimy and Ypres. Also in this album are several pictures or Eileen Molyneux and Clifton Webb. Both performers on stage and in film, Eileen was a cousin of Edward Molyneux and long time friend of the Dunsmuir girls. Clifton Webb performed on stage several times with Eileen, including at the Paris nightclub co-owned by Edward Molyneux and Elsa Maxwell.
The photographs cover a period from the late 1800’s up to the 1960’s. They include images of Hatley Castle, designed by Samuel Maclure, the Japanese Garden, Italian Garden and the Rose Garden and surrounding grounds designed by the Boston landscape architectural firm of Brett and Hall. Buildings on the property include the stables, garage, tennis courts, barns and a Lord and Burnham designed greenhouse. There are also many images of Dunsmuir family members, friends, visitors to Hatley Park and other properties, and trips to other destinations. These people and locations are not always identified.
The fonds consists of photographs handed down through generations in the Dunsmuir family, some of the images are copies made for each of the Dunsmuir family members so there is some duplication across albums. The photo dates range from the late 1800s up to the 1960s. They include images of Hatley Castle, designed by Samuel Maclure, the Japanese Garden, Italian Garden and the Rose Garden and surrounding grounds designed by the Boston landscape architectural firm of Brett and Hall. Buildings on the property include the stables, garage, tennis courts, barns and a Lord and Burnham designed greenhouse. There are also many images of Dunsmuir family members, friends, visitors to Hatley Park and other properties, and trips to other destinations. These people and locations are not always identified.
Additionally, ephemera in this fonds includes an original copy of the Crimson Paradise film premiere program, with autographs from some of the cast, as well as the 1939 Maynard auction catalogue and the visitors book from Dolaura. This book was used first on the family yacht and includes a signature from Kaiser Wilhelm in 1908. In later years, Dola (Dunsmuir) Cavendish (1903-1966), used the book at her home, which was also named Dolaura. A number of celebrity signatures can be found here.
Dunsmuir FamilyJames Dunsmuir’s yacht, Dolaura, was steam driven and about 218 feet from bow to stern and 32 feet across the beam. It was custom-built in Scotland in 1908. The yacht was named after Dola, James’s youngest daughter, and his wife, Laura. This vessel replaced the Thistle, which burned to the waterline in 1907. The Dolaura was magnificent, with lavishly decorated rooms and all the modern comforts. When the Dunsmuirs took possession in Europe, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany came on board for a tour and his is the first name in the visitors’ book. Dunsmuir family members and friends enjoyed many fishing trips and excursions on the ship while living at Hatley Park. In 1920, the yacht was sold to a lumber and shipping magnate in Midland, Ont., and was renamed Victoria. The yacht changed hands and names many more times and even served as an anti-submarine vessel in the waters off Scotland during the Second World War. It was finally dismantled in the 1950s.
Although the Hatley Park estate was sold in 1940 to the Government of Canada, 20 acres of waterfront property adjacent to the Belmont gateway had been gifted to the youngest Dunsmuir daughter, Dola, by her father before he died in 1920. She built a little house there in an English Arts and Crafts style, with hipped roofing, brick walls and tall chimneys. She named the house Dolaura, remembering the family yacht and the many family trips she had taken as a young girl. She had even kept the yacht’s guest book and used it to record visitors to her home.
The signed Crimson Paradise brochure is from the premiere of the film in Victoria on December 14, 1933. Kathleen (Dunsmuir) Humphreys helped finance and acted in the Kenneth Bishop film.
The 25 page Maynard auction catalogue lists the contents of Hatley Park that were for sale during the week long auction, June 1-6, 1939.
The Dolaura visitors book for the Dunsmuir family yacht was started in June of 1908. Although the family owned the yacht until 1920, the book fell out of use after 1911 until it was revived as the visitors book for Dola (Dunsmuir) Cavendish's home, also known as Dolaura. Names in this section of the book date from 1942-1965.
On the left are Clifton Webb and Eileen Molyneux. Clifton Webb (1889-1966) was an actor, dancer, and singer. He performed at Edward Molyneux’s Paris nightclub, with Eileen as his dance partner. Eileen Molyneux (1890-1962) was a maternal cousin of Edward Molyneux and a long-term friend of the Dunsmuir daughters.
In 1928, Muriel Dunsmuir married Maurice “Tolly” Wingfield and by 1932, they had built Journey’s End, a home adjacent to the Hatley Park property and in the Arts and Crafts style. In 1952, it was used as a staff residence for Canadian Services College Royal Roads and since 1988, it has been the administration building for Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Park.